Love Is Blindness
by abysmal2218
Summary: Another 1xR story. She felt a chill sweep over her, causing her skin to bump up. Five years had been too long.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

"Good Lord! Who is that intimidating gentleman?" Tony leaned into her ear, whispering surprisingly as he continued to wave at the guests. She turned to look at him and followed his eyes to see whom he was referring to. It didn't take long to spot him. There, in the corner of the dining hall was a tall man, with unruly brown hair and stone cold blue eyes that were set on her. Their eyes locked for the first time in five years. Even after all of those years, he looked the same. His stoic expression had unchanged. His intense eyes that would always bore into her soul were still as powerful.

She felt a chill sweep over her, causing her skin to bump up. Five years had been too long.

She felt her hand rise and wave to him, not sure why. Her fiancé leaned into her again, "Do you know him? Is he a guest of yours?"

Relena smiled mechanically, "He was a friend of mine during the Eve Wars."

"Well! We must go and say hello to the fellow pacifist." Tony exclaimed, tearing away from the delegate crowd and pulling gently on her elbow. Behind his back, she grimaced. She didn't have the heart to tell him that Heero Yuy, the Perfect Soldier and former Gundam pilot, was no pacifist.

Heero stood where he was, keeping his eyes on Relena and her fiancé. He watched them approach without a single inclination that he even wanted to speak with them. Relena plastered a smile across her face with fierce determination. Five years ago, they had parted and she was left heartbroken. He left without another word to her. It took her five years to recuperate and, like clockwork, he decided to come back into her life.

For such an event like this evening, she could only assume that Quatre had invited him along. She was pleased to see Quatre attend, along with Trowa and Duo. The American pilot had brought his wife, Hilde much to Relena's pleasure. They all had stopped by to pay their respects and then went to mingle. She wished she would have been able to join them; however, Tony had secured her closely to his side while he did his mandatory pleasantries. He was the guest of honor, after all.

As soon as Tony had reached Heero, the politician extended his hand out to the ex-soldier in greeting. Heero's eyes never left Relena's, but he slowly took Tony's hand and gripped tightly. There was no shaking motion, a simple squeeze and Tony pulled back quickly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister…"

"Yuy."

"Mr. Yuy, named after the pacifist Heero Yuy, I take it? Or was he a relative?" Tony droned on in his charming, savvy tone that swooned all of his and Relena's coworkers. Everyone bought his charm, even Relena.

"No," Heero answered sharply, finally turning his eyes away from Relena and onto Tony.

"Oh? Yuy has only been known to belong to one family. I would be surprised if other people had the name Yuy other than the deceased Heero."

"Hn."

Tony shifted uncomfortably, looking to Relena for assistance. There were only a few times that his charm didn't help him and he had to rely on Relena's connections to make a good impression. That was why he had proposed to the Foreign Minister after all. She knew more people than he did and he was all about social climbing. His blatant admittance about this to her on their third date had won her over slightly. If he was this honest with her so early in, what would stop him from being honest with her forever? She fell into, what she thought was love. Now, weeks away from the wedding, she was starting to think this relationship was nothing more than business.

Relena cleared her throat, still holding the mechanical smile in place and extended her hand to Heero's. The Perfect Soldier took it lightly and willingly. "Thank you for joining us tonight, Heero. How long have you been back on Earth?"

Tony watched the exchange curiously.

"A few days. Quatre informed me of the dinner tonight and invited me to join him. I hope I haven't ruined the evening for you and your fiancé."

She shook her head, "Not at all. You're always welcome to join us."

"Of course, any friend of Relena's is a friend of mine." Tony laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist possessively. "After all, in a few weeks everything she has will be mine and mine hers."

Heero's expression hardened even more, his deep blue eyes narrowing at Tony. The guest of honor cleared his throat nervously, "Well, we must get back to the party."

Relena nodded to Heero, following the encouraging push of Tony away from her old love. The crowd dissolved them and Heero had disappeared when she finally looked back, hoping to still see his eyes glaring at her.

Eventually, Tony had been ripped away from her. She felt like she was finally able to breathe properly for the first time that night. She strode across the dining hall, taking glasses of champagne as the waiters passed. By the time she had reached the terrace, she was downing her fourth glass. To her delight, she found Quatre and his company reveling in the nighttime heat of the summer. Duo wasted no time, picking her up from her feet and twirling her until she became dizzy. Trowa and Quatre hugged her tightly, congratulating her on her marriage. Hilde was the only one that didn't seem pleased about the news. She hugged Relena, forcing a smile as they chatted about the wedding. Relena was no fool. She knew that there were more people that shared the opinion of Hilde's. Tony and Relena were a match made in political heaven and no one could deny it. It made perfect sense for them to wed. The paparazzi had a field day when they announced the wedding.

Once the boys had wandered off to the side yards of the mansion, Hilde grabbed Relena by the shoulder, "Are you doing the right thing?"

Relena forced a smile, "Of course, it makes perfect sense to marry Tony."

"Oh yeah, it makes sense all right, but is he really want you want forever?"

Relena's smiled slipped for a moment, realizing that this arrangement did mean forever. "Well, forever is uncertain, but right now it is what I want."

Hilde seemed to accept her answer, turning away from her and stared out into the gardens. After a while, the former German soldier spoke again, "Did you see Heero?"

"I did. It was certainly a surprise."

"He went to L2 a month ago. As soon as you made your announcement to marry Tony, Heero has been trying to figure out a way to come back to you. He wasn't so sure you would be happy to see him though, so he stayed away."

Relena frowned, watching the Gundam pilots horseplay in the gardens, not caring that they were ruining the shrubs and rose bushes that her gardeners had worked so hard on for the past week. "It's been five years, Hilde."

"I know! He knows that, but you can't let something like that stop how you feel about him. I've known since we were fifteen. I your eyes when I mentioned him to you on Libra."

"Feelings change, Hilde. People change. When we were fifteen, we were foolish and took on more than we were capable of. We meddled in more than we should have. That war was beyond us and we took it on anyway."

Hilde sighed heavily, leaning down and resting her head against the marble veranda, "You're so stubborn. Always. You never stop fighting for what you want even if no one sees what you see. So… why are you giving up on Heero so easily? He runs, you know that. You've always known that, but he always comes back to you."

"I'm tired of him running," Relena sighed, closing her eyes.

The women stay silent a while longer. There was nothing left to say. Both of them knew the truth, but there was nothing more to be done about it. Finally, Relena pushed herself away from the veranda and walked back into the dining hall. She wanted to be left alone so she sought out Tony and bid him goodnight. He didn't seem distraught at her early departure and simply kissed her cheek and went back to conversing avidly about the Terraformation projects.

The walk up to her bedroom was quiet, the noise contained to the large room. However, she felt as if someone was watching her. The feeling didn't stop until she was safe in her own room and locked the door behind her.

* * *

_Hello! I've got a new story for all of you! I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter. I have a week vacation so I should be updating again soon. I won't wait a year to update. That was awful! I felt so bad about it._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

A week passed since the banquet and Heero was still lingering around. Relena saw him standing in front her office building, donning a Preventer's jacket and talking to Commander Une. Relena couldn't say she was surprised. He had worked for them before he decided to vanish into the colonies. She knew it was only a matter of time before he was back on her security team and hovering over her constantly. Five years ago, she was thrilled for his company, even the silent days. Now, she wasn't sure how she should feel about it. She was only six weeks away from the wedding and her schedule was filling up with the preparations for it and also meetings and speeches for her position as the Vice Foreign Minister. She was a busy woman and this old flame coming back into her life was the last thing she wanted to get distracted with.

She tried as hard as she could to not sigh heavily or ruffle her hair in frustration each time her thoughts went back to Heero. He hadn't spoken a word to her since the banquet, but she knew he was here, around her constantly. Tony had seen her for lunch, which she was grateful for. He was always able to get her mind off of stressors. Mostly, he spoke to her about his troubles and paid no attention to hers. She hadn't actually had anyone to complain about her job to in five years. Once she had tried to complain to Tony, but he gave her a small sympathetic smile and interrupted her before she had finished. At first, she was startled by his interruption, but after a while she started to become comfortable in it. Through all of her speeches and debates, it was nice to sit back and listen to someone else speak. She spoke so often throughout her day that she hadn't even noticed she wanted to be the silent one at least once. Heero had always let her speak, never interrupting her. He gave his opinion on situations, but never interrupted her. His responses were short and to the point. In privacy, Heero spoke to her often and freely, but their private time was sparse, even as her private bodyguard. He was always working, never quite out of soldier mode for her to get the personal answers she sought for. Eventually, she stopped trying and pushing, knowing that he would speak to her when he wanted. She had extended her arms often enough over the years that she was sure he knew that he was always able to turn to her if he needed to.

Her day had no interruptions other than Tony's visit. Not a single Preventer stopped by or phoned her. She actually had a good day, but the knowledge of Heero lurking around stopped her from realizing it. Her drive home was silent, where she would usually make small talk with her driver. When she arrived to her small two story home, she was pleased to see it vacant. For the past week, noting was out of the ordinary for her. Her life continued on as if Heero hadn't walked back in. She realized, as she entered her home alone, that she was expecting something from him. She was waiting for him to show up and disrupt her peaceful life like he always did. Her usual routine was supposed to be catty walloped now, but nothing changed. She closed the door, leaning against it now and slowly letting herself slump down to the floor.

She didn't understand it anymore. Was she glad to see him back? Was she glad he was all right? Was she angry he came back into her life? Or was she angry that nothing in her life had changed since his arrival last week? Was she expecting him to save her from this mundane life she's created around herself because she was bored? Her life always seemed so much more exciting whenever he was around. Was she expecting something more from him after five years?

She didn't know. She had no answer to these questions. She didn't even know if he'd run off and gotten a family after all this time. Hilde insinuated that he hadn't, but no one really knew what Heero had been doing after all this time.

After a few minutes, Relena picked herself up and mentally shrugged. She had nothing to do with Heero's life anymore and she had her own to worry about. She didn't know what brought him back to Earth, but it obviously wasn't her. She discarded her heels in the entryway and strode into the kitchen for a bowl of cereal for dinner. Her late nights were always this way. She kept little to no food in her house because a majority of the time she was off having a business dinner or spending time with Tony. She leaned against the counter, looking out the window and still lost in thought and a bowl in her hand. She didn't hear the knock on the door. She didn't hear the footsteps come into her house. She didn't even hear a voice call her name.

Once she finished her cereal in a distracted manner, she set it in the sink knowing she'd clean it later and turned to get ready for bed. At the sight of the intruder, she jumped. She wasn't accustomed to screaming so she didn't, although her voice did get caught in her throat. After a second, a few savory words exhaled through her mouth, making the intruder smirk.

"Damnit Heero! You could have knocked!"

He crossed his arms, "I did…three times."

"Oh…" she turned away, staring out the window again. "Can I do something for you?"

"Hn." Came his none committal grunt. She turned back to look at him, surprised that he was staring at her intently. She smiled half-heartedly, waiting. If she gave him enough time, he would answer her question. "I came to talk to you, actually. I hoped you would be alone so we could catch up."

"Catch up? Since when does Heero Yuy not know everything about my life?"

"Since Yuy stopped investigating." He said coldly.

It felt like a knife going into her heart and twisting. Never, in a million years, did she think he would stop keeping a watch on her. He may run off and do whatever he did, but she always knew that he kept up with her. He always kept up on her life and if she ever got into trouble, he would be there for her. She hoped the hurt didn't cross her face.

She put on her political front, forcing a smile and said, "Well, I think I have some time to talk with an old _friend_."

He smirked at her, moving aside to let her walk out of the kitchen. She moved forward, trying to keep distance between them. She sat down on the couch in her white and soft blue living room, tucking her feet underneath her and rested her head in the palm of her hand. Heero took the chair in front of her, sitting stiffly and not looking relaxed at all. He remained silent; his dark blue eyes watching her intently. She was uncomfortable, but she refused to show it.

"So, what have you been up to?" She started, still forcing a smile onto her face.

He hung his head slightly, placing his elbows on his knees, "Various jobs, and finished school."

"Really? Good for you, Heero."

"I guess I was just trying to find a place for an ex-soldier. I just wanted to see if my life really could be anything other than war and peace."

"And?"

He nodded slowly, "It can. I was bored half of the time, but it is possible for me to live a life that isn't full of weapons and fighting. I think I slept for an entire week the moment I found an apartment on L1."

"That's not surprising. You hardly ever slept, even after the war." She paused, looking down to the carpet now and trying to gather her courage to ask the real question. She cleared her throat, "So, why did you come back?"

"Didn't Hilde tell you already?"

"Not really. All she said is that you went to L2 once I made the announcement I was engaged."

He nodded slowly, staring at her as if she missed something. She hadn't though. She had thought for hours about what Hilde had said and she still didn't see any hidden meaning behind it.

Heero cleared his throat, reclining finally back in the chair, "Duo and I had to come up with some sort of plan to stop you from marrying Tony Samoz."

"Why?" Relena barked, letting her mask slip and anger flash across her face. All of her friends, other than the politicians, tried to tell her that it was a bad idea; although, no one ever explained why.

"Eventually, we came to the conclusion that we would just have to go to Earth and, as Duo put it, 'wing it'."

She huffed, "I don't see why it's such a horrible idea that I marry someone that cares for me? Why should I not, Heero? Give me one good reason why I should not marry Tony and I will give it serious consideration."

He smirked again, "Relena, you're looking for a reason not to marry him, but you can't admit it. You know it's a bad idea. Tell me, do you love him?"

"Of course."

"Do you love him like you love me?"

She was speechless, letting her mouth hang open at his question.

"I don't think you do. I think you needed someone to replace that void in your life that I used to fill. I know what I was to you and how I made you feel and I'm sorry it took five years for me to figure my own emotions out." He sighed, "You can't marry Tony because who you really want to marry is me."

* * *

_Okay, second chapter up! Does anyone know what this story is going to be about yet? I gave a horrible summary on purpose. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

She looked surprised when he said those words to her. It took her a few seconds to realize that what he said was the truth. He knew she didn't want to marry that politically correct conformist Tony Samoz. He could see it in her eyes on the television. She was bored and Tony must have been the only one there for her when he left. Tony picked up the pieces for Heero. Although, Heero had no intention of staying away for so long, he found out that trying to live in peace was harder than anticipated. He wanted to come back within a year, but finding his place amongst the civilians was tedious. He enrolled in college and graduated within a year and a half. He found several jobs that entertained him, but none of them knowing that he was a former Gundam pilot. He had taken the names of his friends and comrades during these jobs. He was known as Trowa while he attended school.

However, for the past five years, his end goal was to return to Relena as a whole person capable of fitting into her life. Now, he had competition. Now, he had to persuade her to change her mind. They had a history and he wasn't going to lose it all because of Chief of the Council Anthony Samoz.

Did anyone know of his true intentions? No. Did anyone know that he broke his TV when he heard the rumors of Relena and Tony? No. He was actually on his way back to Earth when he decided to visit Duo. It was there, sitting in Duo's living room with the TV on as background noise when the broadcaster announced that Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian was about to make a personal announcement. He hadn't lied when he told her that he wasn't following up on her anymore. He decided that when he left Earth, he had to leave all of it behind too. If she got into trouble, the Preventers would handle it. He had to be selfish for once and focus on him. If he caught her speech or snippets of a story involving her, he paid attention, but he didn't go out of his way to find out what she was doing.

But, when she walked up to the podium and blatantly told the ESUN about her engagement, he took interest again. He and Duo stopped their conversation halfway and gaped at the screen. Tony was a red haired, pretentious man. When Relena stood next to him, he seemed like a puppet. He smiled and waved mechanically. There was something that was off about him. It made Heero wince. Duo immediately concocted a plan to get rid of the fake politician once she stepped off of the podium.

Now, he was sitting in front of Relena and had, unceremoniously asked for her hand in marriage. He braced himself for her rejection. He knew she would be angry with him for leaving for five years without a word. He could wait though. He was only twenty-six. He watched as she lifted her head, readying herself for a debate about emotions and all things he was still unclear about…expect that he wanted her.

"And why should I marry you? You leave me constantly. You never speak to me unless its work related. I've known you for eleven years and not once have I actually known that you cared for me in any way other than work."

"Libra…" he said, waiting for her retaliation to continue.

"It's always Libra. What happened on Libra, Heero? Did I miss something because I was sure that you came to get me on Noin's orders? Our conversation about my brother and the war was secretly an underlying declaration of love? We were fifteen. We didn't know anything about love. By the end of it, you pushed me away and told me to believe in you. I do. I always will, but that doesn't mean you can come waltzing into my life whenever you feel like it."

He blinked slowly, absorbing her words. "I understand," he said eventually.

He let his head hang, giving her the false pretense that he was giving up. He wasn't though. He was planning, waiting. Should he break the news to her that he was being reassigned as her personal bodyguard?

"I think you should go home, Heero. You are invited to the wedding because you were once a dear friend of mine, but no other reason."

"I won't be going," He said, looking up to her now with steely eyes, "Because there won't be a wedding."

She huffed, "Of course there will be. Stop trying to interfere."

He stood swiftly, startling her. He didn't care. He crossed the room to the couch and leaned into her, "I will not stop. It's taken me five years to realize that your feelings for me have in fact been reciprocated and now you're trying to push me away. I won't. Marry me, Relena because eleven years of some form of friendship is worth more than two years of a business relationship."

She gawked, her pale blue eyes swimming. He took his chance, leaning in further and closing his lips over hers. It took her a second to respond, stiffening and attempting to turn away from him, but he cupped her face with his hand, strands of her golden hair tangled in his fingers. She gave in to him. He didn't pull away or push her any more than a gentle kiss. He tried to convey all of the passion he had been denying himself for the past eleven years. He had tried to find a way to let her know how he felt without actually speaking. Trowa's words rang loudest in his mind.

He went to see the clown a year ago. The circus came to L1 and Heero knew that Trowa wasn't full time with Preventers, like Duo. He decided to see his old comrade. Sitting impassively in the front row, Heero was amazed at how they all moved and did their tricks. He knew how they did it, but they did it with more grace that he ever thought capable of. After the show, Trowa met him on stage, still donning his clown attire. He had removed the half mask and smiled kindly to him.

"I thought I might see you here," he had said.

Heero nodded, stuffing his hands into his denim pockets and looked at the painted set.

"It's been a long time. What have you been up to?"

"Getting on with life," Heero answered brusquely.

"What is that, exactly?"

Heero didn't answer, deciding to walk slowly around the stage.

"Relena was here a couple months ago… did you see her at all?" Trowa continued the conversation.

Heero shook his head, "I listened to the speech, but didn't stay afterward. She was busy."

Trowa shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest and started pacing with Heero. "No, she wasn't. I was her bodyguard for that trip. After the speech, she sat in her dressing room for an hour. No one came to talk to her. I knew what she was doing, but she never said anything."

"What was she doing?"

"Waiting for you."

At that time, Heero couldn't explain the emotions he felt from the clown's words. Now, he realized that he felt guilt and disappointment. He felt pride and urgency rush through him. He even felt love. It took him a long time to realize that strange feeling, but it hit him.

A conversation with Quatre had given that one mysterious emotion a name.

"I just had tea with Miss Relena the other day. I'm glad to see she's happy again."

"Again? Isn't she always happy?"

The blonde man shook his head, smiling meekly to his friend. "It's been hard for her these past few years, Heero. I've seen her crumble a few times during meetings." He took a sip of his coffee, looking Heero squarely in the face. "It's almost like she had lost her inner strength."

Inside, Heero winced. He knew what Quatre referred to. She had always told him that his presence made her stronger, almost like she could take on the world when he was near her. He was her hope.

"I assume she found it again, though?" Heero asked, trying to work on his conversational skill that he'd worked so hard on.

Quatre shook his head again, "Not the kind of strength that you gave her, but something like it. His name is Tony Samoz. I know it sounds like Relena only needs a man to keep her going, but its more than that. She needs emotional support and since you left, she hasn't really had anyone there to help carry the world's burden with her. Tony knows what she goes through, though so I guess I'm glad she's got him."

"Hn."

"Heero, I know it's hard for you to understand that Relena loves you, but you can't keep running away from her. She needs you even if you don't think you need her."

"Loves me?"

This time, Quatre nodded, "Yeah, she has always loved you. I think it was a crush at first and then turned into some kind of war filled hope. But, now that the world is peaceful, I think her feelings may have matured into something…more like love. I think she had thought about being with you forever; that kind of love."

Heero scowled, "Did she say this to you, Quatre? Did she tell you that she loved me in that kind of way, or is that you assuming?"

He didn't mean for his words to sound rude or brash, but he was confused. He spent a year sorting through their words and those emotions. Now, he was trying to get everything out in a kiss and hoping that she understood. He didn't know if he was quite ready to say the words out loud.

Eventually, they parted, breathing heavily. He watched as she turned away, trying to hide her rosy cheeks. For the first time in his life, he felt smug about his decision. He knew he was doing the right thing.

* * *

_Okay! I got another chapter up pretty quickly because I won't be able to post again for about a week. I'm going on vacation and also to get more details about the real life situation that inspired this story. _

_Thanks for all of the reviews! You guys rock!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

She was avoiding him.

It had been four days since they kissed and she did everything she could to make sure they weren't alone again. He hadn't been assigned to her security team, which was a relief. However, he would try to stop by during her lunch. She had made sure to tell her assistant that if anyone were to stop by, she was in a meeting. Heero never interrupted her meetings unless he was already in the room. She didn't know how much longer she could avoid him, though. Their kissed had complicated her relationship with Tony. She found herself not eating at all. If she could stomach it, she could get one meal down.

Tony didn't seem to notice anything peculiar. He went about his days like nothing was wrong. Relena could hardly sleep, tossing and turning throughout the night. She knew she was already beginning to lose weight and that wasn't good since her dress was tailored for her. She was finding it especially difficult to continue on with the wedding plans as if she was not having an internal war. She plastered a smile on her face to the best of her abilities, but at night, when she was alone, she cried. She had been confused in her life before, but it was never about how she felt. Even during the war, she knew what was right and what she was supposed to do.

But, after four days of avoidance, she knew she would need to speak with Heero again.

As Vice Foreign Minister and friends with the higher ranking officers of Preventers, she knew she was welcomed into their building without a notice. She clutched her briefcase tightly, trying to keep the front up as if she was happy and content in her life. She nodded several times when she saw acquaintances. She was relieved when she didn't see Une. She had asked a new Preventer for directions to Heero's office. Without knocking, she pushed the door wide enough for her to slip through. Once inside, she closed it and locked it so they wouldn't be disturbed.

"Relena?" Heero said, surprised.

"Hello, Heero," she tried to force her faux smile to widen. However, at the sight of him, she crumbled. He caught her, his instincts still finely tuned. In his arms, she cried the most she had ever cried in front of him.

"Why is this so hard? Why did you have to come back, Heero? I was finally happy again." She wept, speaking in between sobs.

"Were you really happy?" Heero asked, leaning back slightly to look at her reddening face. "If you were honestly happy, my feelings wouldn't have affected you like this."

"My feelings for you will always confuse me even if I was eighty years old and have been married to someone else for fifty years. My heart has and always will love you, Heero, in some way." She confessed, calming down enough to speak clearly.

"Call it off," he said, releasing her from his arms. "Call it off until you figure out what you want. I'm not going anywhere… unless you want me to leave. You need more time to figure out what you want, Relena."

She sat there, pondering his words. He was right. If she, at least, postponed the wedding, she would be able to sort things out. She was only a few weeks away from the wedding and she wasn't in the least bit ready. Once Tony had proposed and she made it public, wedding planners bombarded her with details and venues. She hadn't had a chance to breathe and honestly think about it.

Tony had even proposed in a meeting, in front of all of their political colleagues. What was she supposed to say? She had hesitated, but no one seemed to notice. She wanted to think it through. However, she had to accept and not embarrass him at work. Now she was feeling the pressure of her decision and regretted that she might not have made the best one for herself. She could always make the best decision for the Earth and colonies, but she, clearly, was clueless about what she wanted.

She wiped her eyes, finally having the strength to look at Heero. "You're right. Thank you, Heero. As always, you know what to say to give me back my strength."

He cleared his throat, "I know this isn't the best time, but keep what you just said into consideration when you decide who you want to marry."

She huffed playfully, using his shoulders as support to stand up. "I'll try."

The next evening, she was feeling even more exhausted than usual. She was nervous about what Tony would say when she told him to postpone the wedding. She was nervous about upsetting him. In fact, they had never actually gotten into an argument. Political disagreement came with their jobs, but a personal argument had never transpired.

She sat by the window of her living room, knowing that Tony would be arriving shortly to take her out for their evening dinner. She had started biting her nails, something she hadn't done in years. She dressed down, hoping that she could speak with him inside her home instead of breaking the news to him in a public place.

A gentle knock on the door startled her. She stood up, smoothing out her clothes and hesitantly reached for the door. Once her hand rested on the handle, she inhaled deeply, trying to relax. Surely he would understand about her decision. He was reasonable.

"Hello, darling." He said as she opened the door, smiling smugly and leaning in to kiss her. She turned her head away, letting him kiss her cheek. "Are you ready to go?"

"Tony, I was wondering if I may have a word with you before we go." She asked, forcing her words to sound confident. She was shaking and hoped he hadn't noticed.

"Sure thing, darling," he smiled again, walking into her living room and taking a seat on the couch. Relena remained standing, however. She tried not to twist her fingers and fought off the temptation to bite her nails. She looked down at the carpet, trying to gather all of her courage.

"Tony, I think…. I think we should…"

"We should?" Tony encouraged.

"I think we should postpone the wedding. I have a lot on my plate right now and I don't think I'm giving the wedding top priority."

"Postpone? You have wedding planners to help you. You shouldn't be that overwhelmed with the wedding. Besides, you're always busy. There would never be a good time for you, Relena."

"I just think we rushed into this. I think we should plan the wedding together and take our time with it."

"Why?" He asked, befuddled.

"Tony, I'm just not sure I want to get married at this time in my life."

Tony straightened up, not standing up stopped looking at her. She knew he was thinking about ulterior motives that she might have. He wouldn't find any though.

"Is there someone else?" he asked, verbally stabbing her in the heart.

"No," she said blatantly and hoped she was convincing.

"Then I don't see why we should postpone it. I'll call the wedding planners up tomorrow and have them take on more. You shouldn't have to worry about this at all. Don't get cold feet right now, Relena. We're only five weeks away." He stood finally, smiling reassuringly at her.

She deflated, feeling as if she hadn't been heard at all. She let her shoulders slump as Tony took her into a hug. She was defeated. He wouldn't listen to her.

"Come, let's eat." He said, letting her go and pushed her gently towards the front door.

* * *

_Sorry this took longer to update than it should have. I left my vacation having mixed feelings about my friend's situation and needed to try and translate it into this story. _

_Anyway, I think only a couple more chapters. Who knows, though? _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

She was relentless. As the weeks passed, she had continued to beg him to postpone the wedding. She never gave him a good reason other than she didn't feel ready. He didn't buy it. There had to be something else that had changed her mind. She hadn't contradicted the wedding plans in the slightest until recently. This is what had confused him. They were nearly there, almost husband and wife when she abruptly decides she can't anymore. He was so close to inheriting her fortune and power over the ESUN that he wouldn't dare back down because she had some kind of misconstrued idea of not being ready.

He wouldn't have it.

As soon as he was old enough to realize that Oz and Romafeller had fallen and that the former Queen had most of the power, he knew that she was the one he had to marry. Was it all for her power and control? Yes. Did he love her at all? No. She was spoiled and whined constantly about how awful her job was. He wanted to yell at her most of the time, demanding that she had her position over to him if she hated it so much. Eventually, he was able to silence her by his enthusiasm for his own work. It was well enough, able to have a say in most of the ESUN decisions. However, whether Relena realized it or not, she was practically the President; she just didn't sign the paperwork. That's what he wanted. He wanted the say in the ESUN. He really wanted to be President, but the old man would have to die before he let Tony take over. He knew he was well liked, but he was only a shadow next to Relena. If they married, he would be able to convince her to step down and let her dotting husband take her place. She would have to stay at home with the children, of course. Work would be too much for her.

That was his plan.

Tony had a luncheon with Relena that day and if she asked him to postpone it again, he would be frank with her. Obviously, he wouldn't reveal his entire plan, but he would tell her that her job was probably causing her this confusion. He would suggest taking some time off of that to really think about the wedding. That's when he would put on the face of her knight and shining armor. He'd go in to start his goal.

However, as he walked in to the restaurant, his plan was disrupted by the presences of another man. He looked familiar, with unruly brown hair and a stone set and stoic face. His uniform was that of the Preventers Relena so graciously supported. They were whispering hastily; Relena's eyes looking around as they seemed to argue. Tony stood back, watching as the man spoke quickly, not revealing any emotion about the subject at hand. Relena looked nervous, keeping her hands in her lap. However, Relena had been nervous looking for weeks now, so this facial expression didn't give Tony anymore answers. He wished he would have been able to sneak by the table unnoticed and listen in, but just as he was about to attempt it, Relena spotted him. She forced a smile and waved to him.

He plastered his charming smile on and waved back, striding over to them. The Preventer looked up, standing up from the table and moving back into the restaurant as Tony approached. The more he stared at the Preventer, the more his features became familiar. He couldn't place him, but he had seen him before. He had seen many Preventers before, all of them having to coexist with the ESUN, but he hadn't seen this man before. They were always hiring new recruits, so he could safely assume he was one. However, the only thing to dispute this thought was that only the best and experienced Preventer agents stand as bodyguards for the Vice Foreign Minister.

"You're looking ravishing," Tony said, sitting down at the table and placing the napkin on his expensive suit. "Have you ordered yet?"

"No, I haven't been here long." She said, resting her elbows on the table and breathing deeply.

"That gentlemen, is he new to Preventers?" Tony inquired pleasantly.

"Not really, he's a returning recruit. He used to be my bodyguard."

"Used to be? I thought that long haired fellow was your body guard here? And you're traveling bodyguard is the one with spiky hair?"

"They are… or were. He had to go away for a few years to sort some things out, but he resumed his position."

"Is that acceptable to you?"

"It isn't really my say, Tony. That decision is up to Commander Une. She's the one that assigns them their positions."

Tony sighed heavily, wanting to scream at her for being so blind to her power. She honestly didn't think she had a say in anything other than Foreign affairs. Her job wouldn't be half as stressful if that was _all_ she did.

"How was your day?" he covered up the heavy sigh, trying to relax.

"Fine, nothing exciting today…so far anyway. How's yours?"

He nodded, "Just fine. I fear I'm feeling rather bored now. I think I need to move up and take on more responsibility."

"Take my job if you feel like that. I'd exchange jobs with you." She said, not realizing how Tony's eyes gleamed. She waited, sipping on the complimentary water that was on the table. "So, I know this conversation gets on your nerves, but I must continue to bring it up. The wedding. Can you please consider postponing it for me? I wouldn't need but a couple months to sort out my doubts."

"Well, I have thought about it quite a bit. I don't understand why would need to think about this. You agreed hastily, but you knew what you were getting into. Why the sudden change of heart? Is there someone else?"

She looked bewildered, leaning back in her seat at his accusation, "No, why would you ask that?"

"It's the only thing I can think of that may confuse you about this wedding."

She cleared her throat, "Perhaps I was too hasty in making that decision and have realized that a life with you may or may not be what I want forever. Is that enough of a reason for you?"

Tony smiled internally, reading right through her. He didn't say another word though, drinking the water until the waiter arrived to take their order.

* * *

He paced his office, thinking quickly about the Preventer at lunch. He has seen him before, but couldn't place him. He racked his brain in trying to locate that face. Mentally, he changed his clothes into street clothes and gym wear. Or casual wear he may have worn on the street. Tony saw so many people each day that it was nearly impossible to remember them all.

A knock disrupted his walking and acknowledged it. His secretary entered, handing him an invitation that was much fancier than his own had been for his ball.

That was it.

The Preventer had been at the ball. His own ball. He was the man hiding in the corner, staring at Relena in such an intimidatingly way. He knew he had seen him before. Tony threw the invitation down on the desk, storming out of the office and up to Relena's office a couple floors above him.

The Preventer that was surely conspiring with Relena was standing in the doorway, speaking. His arms were crossed and his spine straight. He was frightening. Tony adjusted his suit jacket and continued on, forcing his charming and award winning smile on his face. The Preventer saw Tony out of the corner of his eye and stepped back, allowing Tony to enter into his fiancé's office. He didn't leave, though, which made Tony even more suspicious.

Relena looked surprised to see him, but smile simply. "What can I do for you, Tony?"

He leaned across her desk, speaking softly and carefully, hoping the bodyguard wouldn't hear him. "I know what you're up to. This wedding will not be canceled because you want my job."

"What?"

* * *

_Okay, I just want you all to know that my friend's ex-fiancé isn't a bad guy; he was actually a great guy. I just had to make Tony bad for the story._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_Flowers- I'm glad you understand the frustration that my friend was feeling. She literally tried to call off her wedding four times, but her fiancé said no. _

* * *

Heero's eyes widened, hearing Tony's words. How did this escalate into Relena wanting his job? Relena gave no inclination of wanting it. She had enough on her plate as it was. Had Tony completely lost his mind? Heero stepped in, seeing the shocked look on her face.

"She doesn't want your job, Tony. She wants to call off the wedding. I don't know how you got those two mixed up, but your job is securely yours."

"I don't buy it!" Tony snapped, pushing himself off of the desk and facing Heero. "You two are against me! Conspiring! Miss Darlian, former queen, wants nothing more than all of the power in the world! I'll tell you now, you have it and it would be best if I took it from you. You will marry me! You will be kept at home with children. It isn't right for a _woman_ to have so much power."

"Excuse me?" Relena stood, planting her hands on the desk and scowling furiously at her fiancé. "I have no such power. You are blinded by greed. I didn't want to become queen which is why I hastily accepted my dismissal when Treize relieved me. And, if you think marrying me will keep me from my job then you're sadly mistaken. I love my job no matter how stressful. I love maintaining peace alongside with the Preventers. It's what we all had strived for during the war. No one, not even you, can keep me from doing what I do best."

Tony leered at her, "I can and I will. I'll stop you and this man from conspiring against me."

"Heero, leave now." Relena snapped suddenly.

"Relena, I don't thi—"

"That's an order!"

He left, confused about her order. She had never ordered him around before. She always gave him free liberty to do what he wanted. For the first time, she told him what to do, and taken completely by surprise, he did what she said. He walked out, closing the door behind him, but didn't go far. His back was planted firmly against the frame and an ear all but pressing against it. Tony was still screaming, convinced she wanted his job and that he and Relena were conspiring against him. Heero had never seen such a bad case of paranoia in all his years, especially when he thought he had seen it all. Every bad side of a person was shown in war and death. But, there was no war. No one died. Why were Tony's true colors finally appearing?

Relena hadn't raised her voice once in the half hour it took to calm Tony down. He left stiff and still fuming, but reassured of his position. When Heero was allowed back into the office, Relena was tense and flustered to the point that trying to continue her reports was futile. The arguing had stopped but the wedding was still on to both of their dismay.

That night, after a quiet dinner between bodyguard and charge, they sat in silence. Relena hadn't brought her work home and Heero was lost in thought about today's events. Relena hadn't mentioned the argument. Heero continued to open his mouth as if to say something about it, but he couldn't string enough coherent words together to get his thoughts across to her. He was baffled by Tony's decisions. It was becoming unbearable. The politician was inconsiderate and greedy.

Was it possible to not allow someone to break up with them?

Finally, after hours of silence, she spoke up, "What should we do?"

Hanging his head, "I don't know. Should we just contact the press and tell them the wedding is off? I mean, I can't think of anything else."

"Going to the public is tacky."

"We could always call your brother." Heero suggested, stifling a menacing chuckle.

"He's on Mars with Noin. It would take weeks for him to get here and by then the wedding will have already happened. At this rate, I think I'll have to go through with it. File for a divorce a couple months later?"

"No, I won't let you." Heero nearly begged, reaching for her hands.

"I don't know of anything else, Heero. I know I won't be speaking to him for a while."

Rubbing the back of her hands and thinking quickly, "I could ask Duo for a suggestion…"

She grimaced, "Do you think that's a good idea?"

He shrugged, "I don't have anything else."

* * *

The next day, the American pilot arrived on Earth, grin spread across his face and a fist in the air as he climbed off of the spacecraft. "I'm here to mess things up!"

Heero shook his head, "Subtly would be advisable."

"Nah! It's my specialty."

Heero and Duo walked out of the hangar, plotting as many things as they could. Heero was to the point where pointing a gun at Tony and threatening his life was more appealing than behind the back plans. Threats always seemed to work out better for him. Duo was much more creative about scheming and black mail, but it didn't seem like the right way to go. True, Heero and Relena were becoming desperate and needed other ideas, but what the American pilot was suggesting was below Relena's morals.

"Listen, I know a few ladies that would _love_ to get into Tony's office. I can try to send them there when he's working late and they could seduce him?"

"No thanks, Duo. Guilt would only make things worse."

"Well, what's saying he's not already cheating on her? I mean, they don't live together. _And_ when was the last time they've had sex?"

Heero growled, "I don't want to think about it. If I know Relena, she hasn't slept with him yet."

"I don't believe that! At the beginning, she was all lovey-dovey with him. I'm sure she let loose one night."

Heero clenched his fists, wanting to punch the pilot more than he had ever wanted to in his life. "Can we just focus on this?"

"Yeah, yeah," Duo said, sliding into the Preventer car. Heero followed, but stayed silent. Duo had made a good point. It was clear Tony didn't actually have real feeling for Relena, so what's to say he isn't already cheating on her?

"Recon time," Heero said, deciding suddenly the best course of action for them.

"You've got it, buddy."

* * *

That night, Heero told Relena he was taking Duo out for some drinks. He didn't tell her where they would be or why they decided to hit the town, but she didn't protest. She was relieved to see the former pilot and was grateful for the alone time so she could catch up on her work.

Dressed in black, the men stalked the Parliament building from across the street. Standing on top of the Preventers building and binoculars pressed firmly against their eyes they say Tony was still in his office. His jacket had been removed and his red hair was disheveled.

"He's a workaholic like Relena," Duo commented.

"Of course he is, he wants Relena's job."

Duo sighed, "Man, I wish we could see what's on his computer."

"We can, Duo." Heero said, turning away and going back down to the computer room of the Preventers. By the time Duo joined him; Heero had already hacked into the computer's system and searching for Tony's screen. It was easy enough, mostly because Tony was the only one working on a Friday night.

Once Heero pulled up the screen, he and Duo had to sit back and gawk in shock.

* * *

_Just adding some more drama! What did they see on the screen? lol_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"Should we tell her?" Duo asked, pacing back and forth in the Preventer computer room. Heero was still sitting at the computer, mouth gawking at the screen still. "No, we can't tell her. I think we should, but what would this do to her? I don't know what to do! I was never expecting this."

"Duo…" Heero finally spoke, annoyed.

"What will she say!?" Duo yelled suddenly, fisting his hair.

"I can tell her. You should go home and get some sleep. It's been a long day for you. I can handle this. It's not what we were looking for, but it is something that may work to our advantage."

Duo exhaled deeply, trying to calm down, "If you think so."

Heero stood from the computer, shutting it down finally and walked out of the room with his comrade. Duo continued to talk, worrying himself about the outcome of the situation now. Heero hadn't paid him any attention to him until they made it out onto the streets of Brussels. That's when Duo's silence rang loudest over Heero's ears.

The pair had stopped walking suddenly and faced Tony. The politician waved at them in a friendly manner, but he didn't smile. He strode over to them quickly with determination.

"I was hoping someone would be here. Relena's always talking about how busy the Preventers are, so I thought for sure that someone would be here tonight." Tony said conversationally, still not smiling his award winning grin.

"What can we do for you, Mr. Samoz?" Heero said bluntly, not in the mood to look at him longer than he had to. His computer screen was still burning across his retinas.

"Well, I think I've had a security breech. I was working late tonight, and for a moment there, I thought I had lost control of the computer for a moment; as if someone had hacked in or something." Tony shrugged, as if that sort of thing happened all the time.

"We'll take a look at it first thing in the morning. If you have anything on your computer you don't want us to see, you better get rid of it." Heero said menacingly, but with the authority of a Preventer.

Tony smiled suddenly, nodding his approval, "Thank you very much, Mr…"

"Yuy."

"Yuy, yes! Heero Yuy, the infamous politician. I remember your name now. Are you not watching Relena tonight, Mr. Yuy?"

"She has two other guards tonight in my absence. Don't worry about the safety of your fiancé, Mr. Samoz. I have her best interests at heart." Heero tried to sound threatening, but was sure he continued to sound monotone. Duo tensed, which meant the American heard the slight change.

"Yes, of course. She always speaks so fondly of the Preventers." Tony nodded again, walking away now.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Duo let out a low whistle and chuckled nervously, "Man, that was so hard not to punch him in the face."

"I know what you mean, but mine wouldn't have stopped at the face."

Duo laughed loudly, causing passersby to stop and stare for a moment. The two pilots walked off, feeling slightly better with knowing what to do. It was almost like the opportunity landed in their laps. Heero walked Duo to his hotel, silently planning the entire morning out and how to provide evidence to Relena.

"I think I'll ask Hilde to come to Earth and celebrate with us. She and I have been waiting for the day you and Relena get married. We're one step closer now, buddy!"

Heero let himself smile slightly, encouraged by his friend's enthusiasm and support.

Heero didn't say a word to Relena about what he had found the night before. She went to work without question; her mind preoccupied with treaties and meetings. Heero went to work with her, not saying a word, but separated from her as she went up to her floor. He, as promised, went to Tony's office. Relena had a knack of arriving early to work no more than a half hour early every day. Now, Heero was sitting behind Tony's desk, powering on the screen and getting anxious. He had to get all of the information that he could from the computer and into the Preventer's files. He had to expose this evil man that was sitting behind the desk. He had to stop him from marrying Relena and had to stop him from gaining any more power. The computer hummed and the screen turned on. Heero inserted a disc and began to type the codes as fervently as he could.

"Ah! Mr. Yuy, glad you remembered." Tony said suddenly, entering his office. He smiled and closed the door behind him.

"Almost done with the security scan," Heero said, straightening his back.

"I thank you. I'll tell Relena that I approve of her security team. Perhaps we can raise the wages once every minister hires the lot of you?" Tony chuckled, trying to sound more influential than he was. Heero knew the difference. He had no say in any of it. Heero nodded politely, trying not to give the paranoid politician any more reasons to distrust him.

As soon as the disc was done and had ejected, Heero took it, swiftly stuffing it into his pocket. He stood and said, "I ran a scan on your computer. I couldn't find any traces of a breech."

"Thank you, thank you." Tony said, flipping through the files sitting atop the desk.

Heero left without another word, closing the door behind him and returned to Relena's office.

That night, Hilde had arrived with the same amount of jubilee of Duo. In honor of the end of Relena's engagement, the four of them decided to go out. Relena was wrapped in a disguise, wearing a black wig and more makeup than she was comfortable with. Heero had dressed down, finally peeling himself out of his work attire. The night's air was full of freedom.

The bar was packed full of people; body heat and sweat mingling in to the buzzing of the music. Relena finally felt as if she wasn't someone with power. She felt as if her life were normal. She felt like she was just another one of the girls that was dancing her life away. Relena and Heero danced closely together, letting all of the tension of their everyday lives lose. Heero tried to seem more lax like Duo and Hilde, but the disc of Tony's files was still pressing against his chest. He had to keep it close and safe; not wanting anything to get out before he was prepared. Also, Commander Une had gone away for a few days. He wouldn't give it anyone other than her. But, with the weight of the disc on him, he tried to celebrate their hidden victory. He tried to let the soldier persona go and be a normal guy.

Duo bought them several rounds of drinks, all toasting to random, unrelated things in their lives. By two in the morning, all of them were leaning on one another and trying to make it safely to their homes or hotels. However, as the taxi pulled up to take Relena and Heero home, Duo bent over and puked, spraying Hilde's shoes. She didn't mind, laughing hysterically, but incapable of holding her love's weight anymore.

Heero decided to help them back to the hotel. Relena left in the taxi alone, but Heero wasn't worried about her safety. She was still in disguise, and no one knew that the two story home in the main street was owned by her. The public assumed she lived in the palace, but most of the time it was vacant. Heero kissed the top of Relena's head as she slumped into the taxi and lifted Duo's arm around his shoulders.

As soon as the three of them made it back into the hotel, Heero sent a text to see if she had made it home. With the start of those texts turned into something that sobriety had told them not to do.

However, intoxication made them lose any inhibitions and their first time sexting began.

* * *

_LOL! I'll tell you what they found next chapter. _


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The magazine was slammed down in front of her and the cold eyes belonging to Tony were staring up at her. She hadn't heard from him in two days, but she was perfectly fine with that. She looked away from the magazine and saw Hilde glaring at her, hands on her hips, "You should read that article."

Relena looked back down at the magazine, picking it up and flipping through until she saw Tony's face again. There, just a few sentences in, were evidence of Relena's 'affair'. Verbatim, Relena and Heero's texts from the other night out were printed and published for the world to see. She reached for her phone, scrolling through the texts just to make sure they hadn't missed anything. She wasn't sure if she wanted to vomit for the publicity that her secret, nonexistent sex life with Heero was getting or if she wanted to scream for the publicity that her secret, nonexistent sex life with Heero was getting. She forced herself to read on, realizing that this was Tony's very public way of calling off the wedding.

Finally!

Relena set the magazine down, clenching her fists tightly and lowered her head to the table. She took several deep breaths before asking, "Has Heero seen this?"

"No, it just came out today."

It was too early for bad publicity.

"Well, I got what I wanted, even if it wasn't how I would have liked," Relena tried to see the positive side.

"Oh! What are you going to do?" Hilde asked, exasperated, "You'll have paparazzi all over your doorstep and work. Preventers will have to huddle around you so these vultures don't get a shot of you."

Relena cleared her throat, tossing the magazine aside, "Its fine. This will blow over in couple days."

"I don't think so!" Hilde reached for the magazine and began waving it in Relena's face, "This is a big deal; not only for you, but for Heero too. You know he never wants to be in the spotlight. You know he likes his privacy. All those boys ever wanted after the war was some peace and quiet. _This_ will not give him any peace."

Relena stood, aggravated at the German woman, "Don't talk to me like I don't know what Heero wants. However, Heero knows very well what my life is like and that it is unavoidable to be in the spotlight if he were to be with me. Since he has decided that I'm the one he wants, he'll have to cope with the flashing lights. I _don't_ need to be lectured from you."

"What's going on?" Heero asked, entering the dining room with sleepy confusion. Duo was yawning behind him, still half asleep.

"You two make an awful lot of noise this early in the morning," Duo said, still yawing widely.

The girls silenced, feeling very awkward about their argument. Relena sat back down, trying to finish her eggs. If word had gotten out already, she was going to be in for a long day at the office. She wondered how many reporters would try to sneak in and how many nasty stares she would receive. Hilde sat down, tucking the magazine underneath her arm.

"What's that? Gossip this early in the morning?" Duo laughed, spreading jam onto his toast.

Relena felt her cheeks heat up and Hilde forced a smile, lodging the magazine securely against her body. She would fight anyone that tried to take it from her; unfortunately, her pilot was stealthy and quick. He had ripped it from her before she could react.

Duo flipped through the pages, smiling jovially until he saw the article. Relena watched his eyes moved as he read quickly. His jovial smile faded with each line. Even Heero was watching his comrade, his bites of egg being chewed slowly. Duo looked up, sighing heavily and looked from Heero to Relena.

Without a word, Duo passed the magazine to Heero and pushed his plate of food away.

Relena decided it was time to go to work. She didn't want to be there for Heero's reaction. Although the texts were true and the article was based solely on Tony's point of view, she knew it was still going to be tense inside the house. What the article didn't know was that Relena and this 'secret love affair' weren't actually having sex. They hadn't been together since Tony and Relena started dating. They had the history of it all wrong. But it was pointless to argue with that. What was done was done and now, Relena had to face the chaos and wrath.

She was out the door and just as Hilde had predicted, there were reporters standing on her yard. She didn't want to believe that they knew where she lived. She held her elegant parties at the mansion for a reason. Over fifty reports were on her lawn and she was getting blinded by the cameras. She tried taking a deep breath, but her nerves took hold of her just then.

The consequences of her actions were now being shoved into her face. She felt like she failed. She had always wanted to inspire instead of disappoint. She never really wanted to turn this into a big deal. She had always loved Heero and she knew that no matter who she was with, Heero would always win.

She wanted to fall onto the ground. She didn't know how much longer her legs would be able to hold her up. She had faced mobile suits and evil scheming politicians. She had even faced her corrupted and misguided brother on Libra without faltering, but now, this was about love and not peace. However, just as her legs finally gave out, she was lifted up. The dark brown and green jacket of Preventers wrapped an arm around her waist, balancing her weight and letting her regain her composure. She was walking before she knew it and the reporters separated. The cameras were still flashing and they were still yelling questions, but she knew she'd be okay. She waited until she was safely inside the car before thanking Heero for saving her, but it wasn't Heero.

Duo smiled at her sympathetically, "You'll be okay, princess."

"Did he read it?"

Duo nodded, "He's going to talk to Une. Don't worry about any of this. It'll blow over soon."

"I never wanted to be that girl, Duo," she sighed, leaning against the car window. "I never wanted to be a cheater."

"You're not a cheater. We're the only ones that know what really happened. Yeah, no one will be willing to hear your side, but I promise you, no one will hear Tony's side for a while either."

She scoffed, but not questioning him anymore.

* * *

Heero knocked once as he was turning the handle to her office door. She had been back to work for only five minutes and he had one new large case for Preventers in his jacket pocket. True to form, she was already on the phone, scowling and arguing with the President. From what Heero could catch, it was mostly about security measures for the President's meeting on L4. Heero waited, it would only be another moment before he would hang up on her. He had a habit of doing that when she wouldn't give in to his demands. Just because he was president didn't mean he could boss Commander Lady Une around. She had been Treize Khushranda's assistant for years, after all.

She huffed and slammed the phone down, but only waited a second before giving Heero her attention. Without a word, he handed her the disc. She took it, inserting it into her own computer and didn't question him at all. He liked being under her command. They exchanged few words and got their assignments done just as efficiently. If Duo had joined him, the surprise on her face wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying from words.

Slowly, her eyes widened and her mouth opened.

"Tony Samoz is into sex trading," Heero said, clarifying whose information she was looking at in disgust.

* * *

_I think the next chapter will be the last. No promises though! How's that for juicy drama?_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Relena was fuming by the time she entered her office. Not only did she wake up to untruthful gossip, but the people she worked with actually believed it! All through the hallway the women of the building would turn up their noses at her or, if there was more than one, would whisper as she passed by. She knew what they were saying, but that didn't stop her bad mood from increasing.

As she slammed down her files that her disappointed assistant had given her onto her desk, she removed her jacket and let out the frustrated sigh she had held all the way through the building. She turned around in hopes that Duo would still be there. He wasn't. He was halfway in her office, but his head was still stuck out into the hallway and she could hear him speaking to the assistant. Surely they didn't think her 'affair' was with Duo.

She waited, crossing her arms over her chest and watched the long braid swing as he spoke and laughed. After a few moments, Duo emerged entirely into her office, grinning like he always did.

"Sorry, I straightened the gossip column out with your assistant. She knows not to let just anyone in."

"I'm sure she thinks it's you I'm supposedly sleeping with."

"No! She knew it was probably Heero. She said you chose a cuter man to sleep with."

Relena huffed, sitting down behind her desk now, "I'm not sleeping with him. I have never slept with him."

"I know that, Princess, but not everyone believes it. You do spend a lot of time with him. Granted, it's mostly work time. He does live with you though…"

"Which is why I immediately assumed she was sleeping with him. I have been with her for two years and not once has she offered me to move in with her." Tony's voice said from the corner of the room. Relena jumped and Duo pulled his gun out from the back in his pants.

"What are you doing here? Get out!" Relena yelled, pointing to the door.

"Well, I decided to see if you had read the latest gossip article. I see that you have. I'm surprised that they were willing to publish my interview so quickly. In all honesty, Relena, I don't know what you see in the Preventer. He's brash and introverted. You need someone of your stature."

"I have no reason to explain my decision. I have tried for many weeks to call this wedding off; that I didn't want to marry you anymore. You didn't listen to me."

"And you also said there wasn't anyone else. I may have listened if you told me you fell in love with someone else."

"I disagree. You have proven to me that either way I went about it; you would have ruined my reputation. You would have done everything in your power to try and ruin me."

"You're right, but an affair is much more bruising than being a workaholic or selfish and unready."

"There was no affair…" She murmured, keeping her head high but faltering in her argument. He made a valid point, but he was still incorrect.

"Emotional involvement is still an affair, whether no sexual activity was present. You fell in love with this man and that is still cheating."

"Then I have cheated on you for two years, Tony. I have always loved him and always will."

"You plan on marrying him then?"

"Not immediately."

"So, who is he? Really? He can't be just some guy that you randomly met during the war."

Relena wanted to laugh. She did randomly meet him on a beach. She had no idea who he was or what kind of role he was about to play in her life. Instead she asked her own question, "How did you get those texts? Why did you decide to publish them for the world to see? Why couldn't you have just talked to me like this instead of involving the world?"

"I wanted the world to see you for what you really are… a lying, cheating slut."

"Hey now!" Duo yelled, gun still in his hand and aiming at Tony. The politician raised his hands lazily, not afraid of the former Gundam pilot.

"Ah, Mr. Maxwell, it's a pleasure to see you again. I thought for sure that Mr. Yuy would be accompanying her to her office today. I'm glad to see you still haven't lost your touch on handling a gun." Duo and Relena arched their eyebrows simultaneously. Tony chuckled maliciously, "You can't honestly think that I didn't do some research on your Preventers. I know that Duo was the Gundam pilot of the Gundam 02, or what he called it Deathscythe."

"How?"

"I am a man of power, Relena. Don't think I won't use my power to get what I need."

"Abuse of your power will quickly drain you of it. If I were you, I would pretend I didn't have any power at all. That is how you, how did you say it, gain total control? You want to be President one day, right? What do you think the President has that you don't?"

"Old age," Tony answered, laughing, lowering his hands now.

"No, humility. He tried to do the world good and not rule with tyranny."

"Tyranny is the only way this world will ever be at peace, Relena."

"I disagree," Heero's voice said suddenly from behind Duo and Relena.

"Ah! Mr. Yuy, so glad you could join us." Tony seemed pleased to see the stoic man.

Relena watched as Heero walked into the middle of the office. She could see that his soldier mode had been turned on. He was more Gundam pilot Heero than the Vice Foreign Minister's bodyguard which was enough to keep Relena from speaking further. She wasn't afraid of him, but she knew that when this mask was on, he had discovered something more important that a gossip column.

"Mr. Anthony Samoz, you're under arrest for soliciting and trafficking of children. Anything you say or do will be held against you." Heero continued his long strides closer to Tony, who's freckled and pink cheeks paled.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tony struggled to bring command back to his voice.

"Your computer files indicate that you are in a sex trading ring, importing missing children."

"I have no idea what you're speaking of. Sex trading? I am a respectable man that is against such acts!" Tony bellowed, straightening his suit jacket. Heero didn't respond, pulling out his Preventer handcuffs and unlocking them. At the sight of the glinting metal, Tony punched Heero in the face, sprinting across the office and out towards the door. Relena was confused on why he would attempt to go out that way. He was in a room of two Gundam pilots, one close to the door. Relena turned to look at Heero, who had not flinched from the impact.

"Nice try!" Duo laughed, tackling the politician and locking his arms behind his back. Heero strode over them, handcuffing him in the least gentle way he could.

Duo stood him up, letting Tony kick and scream about being framed. Heero cracked his knuckles and landed a blow into Tony's abdomen. He was silenced instantly.

"Duo, Commander Une is downstairs waiting for him."

"Right!" Duo laughed again, tugging the limp Tony out of the office.

Once the door closed, Relena looked to Heero. She was confused with Tony's accusations and also disgusted. She had never known; never even suspected. Her hands started shaking suddenly, feeling weak from the events of the early morning. It wasn't even nine o'clock and she had been called a slut, cancelled her wedding, and watched her ex-fiancé get arrested.

"You'll need to go to the Preventer Headquarters. They'll want to question you and get a report." Heero said, startling her at his closeness. She hadn't realized that he had moved at all.

"I had no idea…"

"I know, but its procedure." Heero breathed against her cheek, using a calloused finger to brush the hair off of her neck.

"What do we do now?"

* * *

_2xH_

_Thank you for the beautiful send off! Aruba is quite lovely (even if it's too hot to go outside!) I'm trying to get Heero to go sun tanning, but he says it's bad for your skin. So far, this is the best vacation I've ever had… Heero doesn't want to call it a honeymoon. I'm sad that the two of you couldn't join us, but I know that the salvage shop needs some attention too. Hopefully we'll see you soon when we come to L2 next month! _

_Lots of love,_

_1xR_

* * *

_**Mission complete. **_


End file.
